Most ornamental pond fish are members of the Koi or Goldfish family. It is widely known in the Pond Industry around the world that members of this species should not eat when water temperatures are below 50 degrees Fahrenheit or approximately 10 degrees Celsius. If the fish are fed when the temperature is below 50 degrees Fahrenheit, they will become sick and may die because their body metabolism slows down at these temperatures. Monitoring of this problem typically occurs twice a year. Spring season, when pond water begins to warm after the cold of winter, and fall, when pond water begins to cool after the warm summer months. During the fall and spring seasons, pond water temperature may fluctuate over or under that threshold on a daily basis until permanent warm weather arrives for summer, or permanent cool arrives for Winter.
The problem with typical pond thermometers is that they incorporate old glass mercury thermometers attached to a floating mechanism. Every day during the spring or fall season, the pond owner must walk out to their pond and physically get on their knees and retrieve the thermometer from the pond water. The mercury thermometer is very difficult to read and in most cases is not accurate because the thermometer is usually only stapled to a cardboard sleeve with the temperatures printed on it. The glass thermometer can slide up or down relative to the printed scale on the cardboard sleeve and therefore give an inaccurate reading. This must be done daily to insure the feeding or not feeding decision of the fish is accurate.
Thus there exists a need for an accurate and easy to read meter which indicates if it is okay to feed the fish in an ornamental pond.